Nikon Lens Rebates

ksz · May 12, 2006

Looks like I am 12 days late...Nikon's spring rebates are here.

I got a call from Roberts Imaging today for the 18-200 f/3.5-5.6 VR-II. They got 'em finally and I'm somewhere high on the wait list. But with $100 rebates on the 28-70 f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8, I am now so confused. I prefer these bad boys because they can do double duty on my F100. But the lens I really need is the 28-70 f/2.8 to replace my old first-generation Sigma.

I am thinking of saying "no thanks" to Roberts and springing for the 28-70 f/2.8.

Chip, got a good deal on a new 28-70 f/2.8??

Clix Pix · May 12, 2006

Oh, that reminds me....gotta send in my rebate form for Bertha...

Anyway, the 28-70 (fondly known as "the Beast" by the guys on Nikon Cafe) is a wonderful lens. I bought it last month and it is within a very versatile lens length range. Go for it! On the other hand, that 18-200 VR is very versatile, too, more so than the 28-70, and although it is not as fast, it certainly does produce some pretty darned good images.

ksz · May 12, 2006

Clix Pix, have you been completely satisfied with color, contrast, sharpness, and bokeh on the Beast? Is it fully living up to your expectations, maybe even exceeding them? It's a lot of $$$$ to spend, but I'd gladly spend it on something that is exquisitely well engineered.

drlunanerd · May 12, 2006

Well on a tip from another member I bought the Nikon 28-200 yesterday, having given up on getting an 18-200VR anytime before I die

Great lens for the excellent price I paid. Much cheaper than the 18-200 and by all accounts the same to better optical quality. If you can live without 10mm at the wide end and no VR I'd say it's a steal.

Two questions: do Nikon ever do rebates outside of the US, and how come all we get in the UK is a measly 1 year warranty when you guys get 5?

Clix Pix · May 12, 2006

ksz said:
Clix Pix, have you been completely satisfied with color, contrast, sharpness, and bokeh on the Beast? Is it fully living up to your expectations, maybe even exceeding them? It's a lot of $$$$ to spend, but I'd gladly spend it on something that is exquisitely well engineered.

Yes, I've been very happy with the Beast. Here's a shot I took with it on a dreary, drizzly day.... It does color, contrast, sharpness etc., very, very well. Ditto with bokeh. Yes, it is an expensive lens but I feel that it is definitely worth the money.

Clix Pix · May 12, 2006

drlunanerd said:
Well on a tip from another member I bought the Nikon 28-200 yesterday, having given up on getting an 18-200VR anytime before I die

Great lens for the excellent price I paid. Much cheaper than the 18-200 and by all accounts the same to better optical quality. If you can live without 10mm at the wide end and no VR I'd say it's a steal.

Two questions: do Nikon ever do rebates outside of the US, and how come all we get in the UK is a measly 1 year warranty when you guys get 5?

I think the rebates are US-only, but not sure about that. Yes, I've heard good things about the 28-200, too -- I hope that Nikon will start shipping out more copies of the 18-200 VR and the 105 VR pretty soon -- lots of eager would-be buyers waiting!

ksz · May 12, 2006

Clix Pix said:
Yes, I've been very happy with the Beast. Here's a shot I took with it on a dreary, drizzly day.... It does color, contrast, sharpness etc., very, very well. Ditto with bokeh. Yes, it is an expensive lens but I feel that it is definitely worth the money.

Thanks! I have until Monday the 15th to decide on the 18-200 VR-II. It's gonna be a tough weekend.

drlunanerd said:
Well on a tip from another member I bought the Nikon 28-200 yesterday, having given up on getting an 18-200VR anytime before I die

Haha, I feel the pain... The 18-200 has the VR-II, extra 10mm, and a silent-wave motor (AF-S) going in its favor! And most of all, Roberts is one of the very few retailers that is not price-gouging; the've got it advertised for US$669.

drlunanerd · May 13, 2006

ksz said:
Thanks! I have until Monday the 15th to decide on the 18-200 VR-II. It's gonna be a tough weekend.

Haha, I feel the pain... The 18-200 has the VR-II, extra 10mm, and a silent-wave motor (AF-S) going in its favor! And most of all, Roberts is one of the very few retailers that is not price-gouging; the've got it advertised for US$669.

That's pretty good. I picked up my 28-200 for only $300 including 17.5% tax (I'm in the UK). That's a bargain as far as I can tell. Sure I'd love the VR but I figured I'm better getting a good zoom now and enjoy taking some shots with it. Now I can justify getting something like the 12-24 for the wide stuff

The 18-200 should start becoming available in June here, but a dealer I spoke to reckoned if you're not on a waiting list it'd be December before you'd get one! Seems the situation in the US is better, but I'd snap it up if Roberts has offered you one. Can always sell it on if you don't like it.

virividox · May 13, 2006

i love the 12-24

its shame they dont do a rebate on it

drlunanerd · May 13, 2006

virividox said:
i love the 12-24 its shame they dont do a rebate on it

I've seen some of your shots and they rock, so I take your recommendation seriously!

virividox · May 13, 2006

drlunanerd said:
I've seen some of your shots and they rock, so I take your recommendation seriously!

awww shucks now ur making me blush - so ill post 1 from that lens just for u

, taken on an overcast day by lakeside (nottingham university campus) with a hoya 72 IR filter. used channel mixer to get the cool colors

ksz · May 25, 2006

A colleague convinced me to go with the 18-200 VR. Sure enough, Roberts sent it out for $669.97 plus shipping and I received it 2 days ago. NOT ONE RED CENT above MSRP, yay!

My comments after taking 4 pictures (it's not the weekend yet):

1. The zoom ring requires uneven force from 18 to 200. There is an "inflection point" in the force curve which means the zoom operation is not perfectly fluid from wideangle to telephoto. This isn't a bad thing, it's just an operational quirk and is not unusual in extended zooms.

2. Build quality is a bit plasticky, but not too bad. It's surprisingly light without all that metal.

3. I enabled VR and compared it against my Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 with handheld pictures taken indoors with a bounce flash at 1/60th of a second. The pictures were of the lens box which has both graphics and text.

Result: The text was noticeably sharper and better defined on the Nikon. This is my first experience with a VR lens and so far so good. Color, saturation, vignetting, CA, etc. are all too soon to comment upon, but the quality of the 4 pictures is quite pleasing.

I am still considering The Beast. But I will have to use the 18-200 VR for at least a month or two before deciding on any additional lens purchase.

drlunanerd · May 25, 2006

I got a call from a dealer on Tuesday to say they had one 18-200 VR lens just come in - with my name on it! That's 3 months I'd waited - glad I put my name down. Ironically I had been in the shop on the Monday and they had no Nikon stuff in stock at all. I had to laugh as it's not exactly round the corner from me.

I've just ridden 130 miles to hand over the moolah and bring it home.

I'd echo your comments above in my brief ownership of this great flexible lens, and I look forward to taking many shots with it!

Q: is it normal for the focus ring to continue moving past the focus limits when using it manually (you have to force it ever so slightly though)? I assume this is part of the AF-S focusing design?

Would anyone like to buy a mint 28-200 Nikkor?

ksz · May 26, 2006

drlunanerd said:
I got a call from a dealer on Tuesday to say they had one 18-200 VR lens just come in - with my name on it! That's 3 months I'd waited - glad I put my name down. Ironically I had been in the shop on the Monday and they had no Nikon stuff in stock at all. I had to laugh as it's not exactly round the corner from me.

I've just ridden 130 miles to hand over the moolah and bring it home.

Cool, hope you paid a fair price. There's a lot of price gouging going on. Paying more than MSRP is a violation of my principles, so I always wait until the hurried masses have passed by.

Chip NoVaMac · May 26, 2006

ksz said:
Cool, hope you paid a fair price. There's a lot of price gouging going on. Paying more than MSRP is a violation of my principles, so I always wait until the hurried masses have passed by.

I agree. But wonder how you feel about the way car dealers add mark-up on hot cars that are hard to get?

Just glad the shop I work for isn't on the bandwagon of milking the shortage on the D200 or the 18-200VR.

But a note, you may be confusing MSRP verses MAP (minimum advertised price). In the camera world MSRP has no real relation in most cases to the MAP or actual selling price.

Before some cry foul that MAP is price fixing, it is not. Shops are able to sell the D200 lets say for $1000 (they would loose major money on it though, trust me

) , they just can't advertise it. That is why you see "call" or "add to your cart" to see a better price.

What gripes me is people that buy and then resell on eBay for much more than they bought it for.

ksz · May 26, 2006

Speaking of cars, when I was buying my BMW 545 in 2004 a mere 3 months after the new body style went on sale, the dealer would not even consider a discount. Dealers get few allotments of this model and they generally sell out quickly. I, however, asked for a $1500 discount -- relatively modest, but I wanted something below MSRP. The rep went to his manager and came back with the answer: No.

So I got up and walked away.

I went to another dealer. Same answer.

Got up and walked away again.

One week later the original dealer called back. He was interested in making a sale so I told him again I want $1500 off or I won't return to the dealership.

A moment later he caved in.

I drove to the dealership and signed the papers with $1500 off.

Moral of the Story: I don't pay markups. (And often I don't pay MSRP if I can help it!)

drlunanerd · May 26, 2006

I like your style ksz!

I paid the best price I'd found for the lens in the UK (still much more than the US

), so the fact I actually got my mitts on one at last is good going. Even so, I too subscribe to the "if you don't ask you don't get" attitude. So I asked for an extra discount and/or a free UV filter. Some might say that's cheeky!

They politely declined my demands though, ha. Fair enough really - they've got a list of eager buyers for both the 18-200VR and the D200 out the door, and they're only getting a couple of each in at a time that get snapped up straight away.

Do you get a 5 year warranty included as standard in the States on Nikon lenses and bodies by the way? We only get a measly 1 year.

ksz · May 26, 2006

drlunanerd said:
Do you get a 5 year warranty included as standard in the States on Nikon lenses and bodies by the way? We only get a measly 1 year.

We get a standard 5 year warranty, but we have to fill out and mail the warranty card within 10 days, which reminds me...

The 18-200 VR is growing on me. I've been using it more often than I thought. VR is prevalent on telephoto lenses, but not on wideangles. Maybe that's why I find myself drawn to this lens; it provides VR even at wide angles. After all, even at 1/60 or 1/30 you can get blurry images on wideangle. VR should be available at all focal lengths.

Abstract · May 26, 2006

Yeah, but camera shake would be much more of an issue using telephoto, which is fair enough.

Anyway, it's cool that you got the 18-200 mm VR. I thought about it, but a 70-200 mm f/2.8 sounds like it would do things that are impossible for the 18-200 to do. On the other hand, the 18-200 is so flexible and comes with VR.........

Either way, I'm a bit of a ways off from buying either lens. Typical money issues for a student like myself. I don't think I could ever afford the 70-200 mm anyway.

What was your reason for going with this rather than the 70-200 mm?? Did you already have a good telephoto capable of f/2.8 or better?

ksz · May 27, 2006

Abstract said:
What was your reason for going with this rather than the 70-200 mm?? Did you already have a good telephoto capable of f/2.8 or better?

Not only do I have a 70-200 f/2.8 (from Sigma), but for every 90 pictures I take with a focal length less than or equal to 70mm, I take 10 with a focal length greater than 70mm.

I have taken both my 28-70 f/2.8 (Sigma) and the 70-200 f/2.8 on several trips and this statistic has held up.

Were I to invest big moolahs for optimum image quality in a single lens, I would most definitely favor the wide-angle to low-telephoto range. That's the range I used 90% of the time.

The 18-200 VR compensates for show aperture by sporting a VR mode that is claimed to offer up to 4 stops of stability. Come to think of it, I have never used my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens anywhere other than the bright outdoors, so paying big money for f/2.8 would only be justified if a narrow depth of field was very important.

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